The Sheffield branch of national campaign group Stand Up to Racism rallied through Sheffield City Centre today with a Unity March, bringing people together to fight against the far-right.

The march, backed by over 50 South Yorkshire organisations, started at 11.30am at Devonshire Green and moved through The Moor to City Hall. The demonstration included speeches, chants and a street band.

At the beginning of the march Tild Resare, a University of Sheffield student, told 360Wire that they wanted to raise “awareness” of the cause.

“I want to be visible,” they continued.

The demonstration is one of many to have taken place in Sheffield in the last few months. Previously on 26 September, Sheffield SUTR held a counter-protest against a demonstration organised by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, otherwise known as Tommy Robinson.

Another protester, named Cat, said: “I think it’s just really important to show and say that we feel that refugees are welcome here, everybody’s welcome here.

“I think we’re so lucky and privileged to be born who we are, and not everyone has that, and that’s all it is. I want everyone to feel welcome and to have the right to a nice life, I think it’s really important to show up visually to signify that and to let people that make the decisions that influence things know that this is important to us and we will not be silenced.”

In an Instagram post, SUTR Sheffield emphasised wanting to “make noise,” and encouraged people to bring whistles and instruments. Multiple speeches took place throughout the demonstration, including one from community activist Maxine Bowler.

In her opening speech, she said: “We are the hardy people, we are the people who are safe. Loud and clear, we are against all forms of racism, we are for diversity, we stand together in unity.

“Everytime the far-right come out in our city we’re sickened by them. [..] Some people think it’s alright for men masked up, wearing balaclavas, with blackened faces, to be marching through Darnall at 5.30 in the morning… I tell you, if I saw them on my street at 5.30 in the morning I would be terrified.

“So don’t talk rubbish, they should not be allowed to march through areas like that, and if the police say they think it’s okay, and that it was a proportionate response to have four people at 18 minutes notice, that is an absolute disgrace.”

On 11 October, an anti-migrant protest organised by Tommy Robinson’s far-right, anti-immigration activism group Patriots Platform marched through Darnall in the early hours of the morning.

South Yorkshire Police have been criticised for their response, with them responding by saying that they didn’t have the ability to plan in advance due to no prior awareness of the protest.

Another speaker named Hugh, from Christ Church, also spoke out against Patriots Platform in his speech. “They call themselves patriots, and they ignore the fact that this country here is built by migrants, that is the heritage.

“We felt invaded, not necessarily by people so much as by what they brought with them. They were carriers that day, they carried something that doesn’t belong in this city, they carried racism, they carried hate, they carried division.

“So, we fight back. We are a unity demo that will say to that balaclavad bunch, ‘this is not your Sheffield. Get back on your coaches.’ Because this year this is our Sheffield, this is our beautiful multicultural city.”